Perfectly Flawed

In this enlightening episode, I had the privilege of sitting down with Tim Cook, the National Program Manager of "Outside the Locker Room" - a mental health charity dedicated to supporting individuals in the world of sports. Tim Cook steps into the limelight to discuss an issue close to his heart - mental well-being, both within the realm of sports and throughout the broader community. Mental health struggles have often been a silent challenge in the world of sports. Athletes face unique pressures, from performance expectations to the emotional rollercoaster of competition. Tim Cook, a prominent advocate for mental health awareness, takes us on a journey to explore how the worlds of sports and mental health intersect. During this episode, Tim shares invaluable insights into starting and maintaining conversations about mental health. He provides practical advice on breaking the ice, fostering understanding, and creating a safe space for open dialogue regarding mental health challenges, whether on the field or in everyday life. A central theme of our conversation is the critical mission of reducing the stigma associated with mental health. Tim's passion for creating a stigma-free environment within sports shines through as he discusses how influential figures can lead by example and pave the way for change. We delve into the importance of tackling stigma head-on, leading to greater acceptance, understanding, and support for those dealing with mental health challenges in the sporting community and beyond. Furthermore, we explore the vital role that sports play in building strong, interconnected communities. Tim Cook underscores how sports can serve as a unifying force, transcending boundaries and bringing people together. We discuss the profound impact of sports in promoting teamwork, camaraderie, and positive mental well-being within communities. Join us for this illuminating episode as we explore the vital connection between mental health, sports, and community with Tim Cook, the Australian National Program Manager of "Outside the Locker Room." It's a conversation that will resonate with sports enthusiasts, mental health advocates, and anyone who believes in the power of community to support and uplift those facing mental health challenges. Tune in for this impactful discussion on "Outside the Locker Room." --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

*TW* SUICIDE In this powerful 6-minute clip, American athlete Deja Young-Craddock discusses the hidden struggles and immense pressure athletes face. Deja shares her personal journey and insights into the mental health challenges within the sports world. Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/episodes/Deja-Young-Craddock---Paraolympian--mental-health--mum-e1ufiur/a-a99l7tr --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this compelling episode of "Perfectly Flawed," we delve into the extraordinary journey of Australian swimmer Bradley Woodward. This episode not only celebrates his remarkable achievements in the world of swimming but also delves into the intriguing facets of his mental fortitude and his quest for identity beyond the confines of the pool. Brad's story takes us from his coastal Australian roots to his rise as an elite swimmer. We explore the pivotal moments that shaped his mental resilience, unearthing the strategies and mindset that have enabled him to surmount challenges and navigate the turbulent waters of competitive swimming. However, it's not just about Brad's triumphs in the water. We venture into his personal voyage, highlighting his pursuit of self-discovery and interests that extend far beyond his athletic career. It's a profound exploration of the person behind the athlete, revealing the beautiful imperfections that make him a multi-dimensional human being. This episode offers insights into the mental side of sports and the pursuit of personal growth. Whether you're an athlete seeking inspiration, someone on a journey of self-discovery, or simply an inquisitive listener ready to embark on a transformative experience, Bradley Woodward's story will resonate deeply. Join us as we honour Brad, the Australian swimmer whose narrative reflects the beauty of embracing imperfections and the strength found in the depths of the human spirit. You can follow him on Instagram @bradwoodward1 To keep up with the podcast by following the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this captivating podcast snippet, we explore the intriguing concept of the "Olympic Come Down" – the emotional aftermath that follows the conclusion of the Olympic Games. Join Chelsea Hodges as we delve into the unique challenges faced by athletes and the broader impact on society. Gain valuable insights into the rollercoaster of emotions experienced by athletes as they navigate the transition from the world stage back to everyday life. Discover the lasting legacies and lessons learned from this captivating phenomenon. Don't miss this thought-provoking exploration of the Olympic Come Down. Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/episodes/Chelsea-Hodges---Olympian--swimming--struggling-and-being-scared-e1p37f6/a-a47vcoj You can follow her on Instagram @chelsea.hodges To keep up with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this dynamic episode, I have the privilege of engaging in a candid dialogue with Todd, a driving force behind the impactful organization "Outside the Locker Room." Together, we explore the multifaceted world of mental health, sports, and personal well-being. Todd shares profound insights into the essence of happiness – what it truly means and how it intertwines with our everyday lives. Drawing from his experiences and expertise, he reveals invaluable strategies to foster happiness, both on and off the field. "Outside the Locker Room" is on a mission to revolutionize the culture within sports. Tune in as Todd discusses the pivotal role of fostering a supportive and empathetic environment, where mental health takes center stage alongside athletic prowess. Discover how this remarkable charity is effecting positive change, one conversation at a time. In an era where mental health education is paramount, we delve into the significance of spreading awareness, destigmatizing conversations, and empowering individuals with the knowledge they need. Todd's insights shed light on how "Outside the Locker Room" is playing a pivotal role in equipping athletes, coaches, and enthusiasts with the tools to navigate their mental well-being journey. Please be aware that this episode includes sensitive content, including discussions about mental health and mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with these issues, it's important to reach out for appropriate support. This episode promises not only inspiration but also actionable takeaways to integrate well-being practices into your life and contribute to a transformative shift in sports culture. Join us for an eye-opening conversation that underscores the importance of prioritizing happiness, championing mental health, and igniting a cultural revolution in the world of sports, all with the guidance of "Outside the Locker Room." You can follow them on Instagram @otlr To keep up with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

Part 2 of my chat with my swim coach Michael! In this episode, I am joined by my swim coach Michael Goff. We dive deep into the extraordinary world of the coach-athlete relationship. Join us as we explore the unbreakable bond that we have formed as coach and athlete, transcending the pool's surface to shape dreams, unlock potential, and achieve greatness. Together, we share our remarkable journey, revealing the invaluable lessons learned, challenges overcome, and victories celebrated along the way. Listen closely as we unravel the secrets behind building trust, fostering motivation, and cultivating a shared vision. From early struggles to triumphant victories, this episode unravels the profound influence a coach can have on an athlete's life, not only as a mentor but as a trusted confidant and unwavering support system. Discover the raw emotions, inspiring anecdotes, and intimate stories that make our coach-athlete duo's connection so special. Gain unique insights into the strategies, techniques, and mindset that empower athletes to go beyond their limits and achieve greatness. Whether you're an aspiring athlete, a dedicated coach, or simply intrigued by the intricacies of the human spirit, this episode offers a compelling exploration of the transformative power of the coach-athlete relationship. Join us as we delve into the depths of dedication, passion, and mutual growth that lie beneath the surface of this extraordinary partnership. To keep up with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode, I am joined by my swim coach Michael Goff. We dive deep into the extraordinary world of the coach-athlete relationship. Join us as we explore the unbreakable bond that we have formed as coach and athlete, transcending the pool's surface to shape dreams, unlock potential, and achieve greatness. Together, we share our remarkable journey, revealing the invaluable lessons learned, challenges overcome, and victories celebrated along the way. Listen closely as we unravel the secrets behind building trust, fostering motivation, and cultivating a shared vision. From early struggles to triumphant victories, this episode unravels the profound influence a coach can have on an athlete's life, not only as a mentor but as a trusted confidant and unwavering support system. Discover the raw emotions, inspiring anecdotes, and intimate stories that make our coach-athlete duo's connection so special. Gain unique insights into the strategies, techniques, and mindset that empower athletes to go beyond their limits and achieve greatness. Whether you're an aspiring athlete, a dedicated coach, or simply intrigued by the intricacies of the human spirit, this episode offers a compelling exploration of the transformative power of the coach-athlete relationship. Join us as we delve into the depths of dedication, passion, and mutual growth that lie beneath the surface of this extraordinary partnership. Due to our chat together being so long and in such depth, I have cut the episode in half so stay tuned for part 2! To keep up with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode, I talk you through a mindfulness exercise. The purpose of this mindfulness exercise is to provide you with a scene that completely absorbs your attention and distracts you away from your negative thoughts. As you become absorbed in the scene you will deepen your state of relaxation and will notice physical changes. For body image concerns, this technique can be used to help you think about and attend to your body in a different way. You will work towards accepting your body and yourself as a whole. This process begins by becoming mindful of your own inner experiences in the here and now. I hope you find this exercise helpful and you can play me over and over whenever you need it! There is no intro or outro so you can just focus on the exercise! You can follow me on Instagram @reneeeeefox To keep up to date with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode, I talk you through a mindfulness exercise. This is a mindfulness exercise to talk you through mental preparation focused on graditude. This can be used before a match, race, or competition, or even just use to feel calm and ready to tackle your next task.  I hope you find this exercise helpful and you can play me over and over whenever you need it! There is no intro or outro so you can just focus on the exercise! You can follow me on Instagram @reneeeeefox To keep up to date with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode, I talk you through a mindfulness exercise. This is a mindfulness exercise to talk you through mental preparation focused on confidence. This can be used before a match, race, or competition, or even just use to feel calm and ready to tackle your next task.  I hope you find this exercise helpful and you can play me over and over whenever you need it! There is no intro or outro so you can just focus on the exercise! You can follow me on Instagram @reneeeeefox To keep up to date with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode, I talk you through a mindfulness exercise. This is a mindfulness exercise to talk you through mental preparation focused on success. This can be used before a match, race, or competition, or even just use to feel calm and ready to tackle your next task.  I hope you find this exercise helpful and you can play me over and over whenever you need it! There is no intro or outro so you can just focus on the exercise! You can follow me on Instagram @reneeeeefox To keep up to date with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode, I am joined by David Curtiss. David is a professional swimmer from the United States. He was a force to be reckoned with on the junior scene competing at the World Junior Championships before debuting on the senior team including the recent World Short Course Championships held right here in Melbourne, Australia. In our chat, we take a deep dive (pun intended!) into David’s mindset. He is able to articulate so well his thought process as an elite athlete. We discuss feeling ‘out of your depth’, comparison, and nerves. I appreciated David’s candor so much as it provided a great insight into how he sets and achieves his goals. He was able to share some great advice and tips that I think we can all apply regardless of what sport you do or even if you are an athlete or not. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to chat with David and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! You can follow him on Instagram @_davidcurtiss To keep up with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode, I talk you through a mindfulness exercise. This is a mindfulness exercise to talk you through mental preparation after you have done a physical warm-up. This can be used before a match, race, or competition, or even just use it to feel calm and ready to tackle your next task.  I hope you find this exercise helpful and you can play me over and over whenever you need it! There is no intro or outro so you can just focus on the exercise! You can follow me on Instagram @reneeeeefox To keep up to date with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode, I am joined by Bill. Bill is a 3 time Olympian for team USA for bobsleigh. He is now a proud businessman and father. Bill discusses his sporting career with his start in athletics and his road to the Sydney Olympics cut short. It was due to this that led him to be introduced to bobsleigh with no idea what it is – introducing the movie Cool Runnings. Bill had a tough upbringing, but it was because of this that created his drive and persistence. He had an incredible sporting journey and was the first American team to medal in Bobsleigh in several years. He also chats about the mental challenges he faced from childhood to sport to life after sport. He is able to articulate so well what he went through and how he was able to overcome it. Bill provided some great advice and I hope you enjoy the episode. You can follow him on Instagram @billschuffenhauer To keep up with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode, I am joined by Chris. Chris is a running coach and also a runner himself. Chris talks about his love for running and the satisfaction he gets from it. He had a big career change from being in a 9 to 5 job to becoming a running coach. He wanted the opportunity to pursue something he loves and being able to share that passion with others. Chris speaks about his own running journey and his marathon experiences. Within Chris’ story he has some great advice and wisdom that can not only be applied to any sport but also life in general. I really enjoyed chatting with Chris and I hope you enjoy the episode. You can follow him on Instagram @knightonruns To keep up with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode, I am joined by Deja Young-Craddock. Deja is an American Paralympian in athletics. Deja speaks about her physical impairment and her introduction to sport which led to her amazing career so far. Deja made her first senior team in 2015. She talks about the highs and lows she has experienced and what led to her suicide attempt. She speaks about her support network and how that helped with her quick turnaround to the Paralympic games. Deja is also a new mum and she talks about the excitement but also the grief that she experienced. It was a pleasure getting to chat with Deja and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! You can follow her on Instagram @_dejyou To keep up with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode I am joined by Self Worth Sam. Sam is an imposter syndrome expert, author, and public speaker. Sam explains what imposter syndrome is and his fascination with it that lead him to devoting his career to talking about its effects. We also discuss self-worth and some tips on how we can build it up ourselves. Sam speaks about how self-worth and imposter syndrome can be evident in sport and in particular athletes. He is able to provide explanations of each whilst also giving advice, tips, and strategies to improve. I hope you learn something new and enjoy the episode! You can follow him on Instagram @selfworthsam To keep up with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode, I am joined by Gaby Villa. Gaby is a sports and athlete nutritionist specialising in ultra-endurance nutrition. Her role through ‘IntensEATfit’ is to make your life easier, provide you with the tools that will help you take control of your diet, and make it your best ally to achieve your goals in sport and life. Gaby talks about how she became a nutritionist and her personal love for sports. We then delve into the role food can play in our mental health, sport, and even periods. I also ask Gaby about body image and what impact social media has especially around festive periods and new year marketing. Gaby speaks about some potential snack options in relation to some sporting examples. It was awesome to be able to chat with Gaby and broaden my knowledge on nutrition and helpfully you can learn something too! You can follow her on Instagram @intenseatfit To keep up with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode, I talk you through a mindfulness exercise. Visualisation, also known as, imagery or mental rehearsal, is defined as using all your senses to rehearse your sport in your mind. Its main purpose is to aid the replication of the competitive environment, whilst in a training scenario. It is a form of conditioning for your brain for successful outcomes. The more you mentally rehearse your performance, the more it becomes habituated in your mind. Think of visualization in sports as a pregame walk-through.  I hope you find this exercise helpful and you can play me over and over whenever you need it! There is no intro or outro so you can just focus on the exercise!  You can follow me on Instagram @reneeeeefox To keep up to date with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

In this episode, I am joined by Kiah Melverton and Lachlan Carter both elite swimmers. This episode is the first in a new series based on different themes. This episode's theme is all things body image. Now, this episode was originally supposed to be released prior to Christmas and some of the conversation highlights that but everything we speak about is still very relevant. I hope to continue with this series bringing a new topic of conversation each episode with 2 guests sharing their varying experiences around the topic. Body image is something we all have, and Kiah and Lachie were kind enough to share their thoughts and experiences surrounding it. We dive straight into the chat so if you want to know about Lachie and Kiah they have both been on the podcast before so go check out their episodes too! You can follow them on Instagram @melvertonkiah and @lachlan__carter To keep up with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message